Untitled
by AgentGraves
Summary: L/M, first attempt at fanfiction. Just testing the waters, let me know if you want more.


_It was cold, freezing cold. It was dark, dank and uncomfortable. No light shone other than the soft glow from outside the door. What couldn't be seen could be felt. Pain, grief, and anger radiated like a maelstrom here. A swirling cascade of emotions, the conflicting feelings of hatred and extreme sadness were enveloping. Then suddenly light, bright white light. Shining like a beacon as the door opened, and as soon as relief came, so too was it torn away as pain and overwhelming fear became the dominant presence…_

Luke awoke as if being assaulted. His head snapping from the sheets as if they had been water, sweat pouring down his face and neck, he stretched out with the force. Seconds passed before he was able to breathe right again, but the feeling he'd awoken with had not faded. Something was happening, or it was about to. He couldn't rationalize it; the image he'd witnessed too real to refute and yet so vague he could barely make sense of it.

Sighing he gathered himself and forcibly turned his thoughts away from the lingering "bad feeling" in his gut, and tend to the more pressing matter that in less than 24 hours his sister would be kicking down his door dragging him to one of the few places in the galaxy he absolutely detested. Suddenly lingering on the dream didn't seem so bad.

"The Alliance is concerned with Alliance concerns… you know, maintaining order and protecting the interest of the people and all that junk. And while you share the same goals, fact of the matter is I just don't think Luke's on board with your… methods." Han said, looking with a bemused expression at his wife across the table.

Leia Organa Solo spoke the only words she thought worth speaking.

"He just wants what's best for the galaxy… like you all of course, but his vision of how to accomplish that is very different, as he's expressed to you all on a multitude of occasions. I'm not saying that he will reject this offer… but be warned and prepared that based on his prior stance, I doubt this will bring much change to the matter."

She knew this would be a disaster. It always was when the council decided it was time to try another one of their desperate ploys to bind Luke and The Order with the now growing Republic. An alliance like this could make a great impact, but to accept the demands of the council was to sacrifice any kind of normalcy for a life of pure chaos often associated with any kind of higher political standing. And Leia knew that with Luke being as stubborn and thick-headed as he was, there was no way he would be swayed from his current ambitions. His dedication to the Order and the reestablishment of the Jedi was paramount in his eyes, and _nothing_ would separate him from that.

_Aboard the Wild Karrde_

Talon Karrde wasn't a hard man. He wasn't a soft one either. He'd always found it to be a respectable business medium. As many neutral things as he could be meant for better expansion of his market. More market meant more money. And that was how Karrde did business… the smart way.

But when it came to matters more personal, his judgment came more often into question. Maybe not by his subordinates, but at least in this particular instance… himself. Mara Jade had been gone for two weeks now. Had not commed, or left any kind of status update at all. She had simply told him of a vague "semi-vacation" she had planned on Nirauan, and vowing to never cross that painful line that was Mara's privacy bubble, he didn't ask questions.

Still this was highly unusual, even for her. Talon had debated over the last few hours whether or not to comm Luke to see if he could maybe pick up on her presence, force users had that weird connection. At risk of sounding overprotective he backed off the idea. As each hour passed he felt the need to comm him creep steadily back into his mind. After almost no consideration he went with his gut, knowing perhaps this was a last act. This was Jade he we're dealing with after all. And he was about to send her favorite Jedi to go "check up" on her.

"Thank you Talon… I understand… I'll see what I can do… Yes you too… I'll comm you when I know something."

Luke let out an exasperated sigh. Five minutes they'd be at the council chambers, ten minutes he'd be mentally tortured by half a dozen politicians all vying for his attention and support. If it hadn't been so important to Leia he would have been off this sithspit planet and back on Yavin IV where he belonged.

"Luke?"

He pulled himself out of the trance and looked over at his sister, who was now starring at him with questioning eyes.

"Are you alright? What did Karrde say?" She asked concern apparent in her tone.

"Just business stuff…" He lied. "Just a bit perturbed I suppose." He pulled his face into his palms, trying to soothe his aching head.

"Try and relax if you can, Han and I will both be there, and you know we'll do everything possible to help convince them to you can be allies without one party having dominion over the other." Leia said giving him a soft reassuring squeeze on the knee.

"I know Leia, thank you. I just think we're fighting a perpetually losing battle sometimes…" He sounded almost defeated already. Very unlike Luke, who was always optimistic even in face of certain defeat?

When they arrived the council was already in session. That was one thing Skywalker's were good at, showing up about 15 minutes late… and yet right on time. Leia stepped in first curtseying gracefully to the room before taking her seat at the table. Han sauntered in much less dramatically, plopping himself down next to his wife in his best Corellian bad boy impression.

Luke didn't make it through the door.

_It was cold, freezing cold. Rain poured like a waterfall bathing the bloodied body now speeding through the forest. Footsteps pounded against the ground mimicking the thunder that rolled across the sky. The brief flashes of lightning and distant hue of the stars the only illumination guiding the fleeing figure cloaked in black. Waves of pain, grief, and fatigue spiked with every step but there was something suppressing it; A force of will and determination that was unrivaled by the agony. It felt like running for years, until finally… a speeder in the short distance. Intact… Operational… Life Saving… Another flare of blinding white light as the engines ignited and then…_

If it was possible, Luke awoke more startled than before. Blurry faces hovering above him faded into concerned expressions of family and _allies_. Han opened his mouth to speak but Leia cut him off without a thought.

"Luke what in blazes was that! We thought you'd been shot! Or poisoned! Or-or-Force I don't know what! Are you alright?" She gasped offering her hand to help him.

Gratefully taking it he slowly stood, feeling dizzy from such an intense surge of images. It had been like before, only this time more intense. If he hadn't been sure before, he was positive now. These were no dreams. They were visions. But this was unlike anything he'd ever experienced even in prior position. He could almost feel the person he was seeing. Even when he saw visions of himself they didn't feel so… connected. He could feel this person's pain; he could feel how scared and tired they were. He was lost, confused and a bit afraid. He turned his gaze to Leia who still wore a face of concern and confusion.

"I'm sorry… I… I don't know what's happening. I think I had a vision but… it felt so real, almost as if it were happening as I watched it. I don't know what it means but for some reason I think it's very important that I find out…" He looked away now, not wanting to see their prying reactions.

"Alright kid, but let's at least get you something to eat and drink. Make sure it's not just a stomach thing… We can postpone the meeting for a later date." Han said to Luke with that trademark solo-smirk.

Luke couldn't help but return it.

_There was a blinding flash of light. Shrieking sounds of blasters firing and speeders zipping through the trees eclipsed the sound of rain and forest life. The whole world was distorted, a mixture of the high speed travel and adrenaline… everything was happening so fast. Suddenly an explosion to the left as a speeder railed into a nearby tree. Metal and debris soaring but missing living targets, seconds later another explosion from the right followed by an overwhelming surge of joy and accomplishment, then panic… Without notice the world was flipping violently. There wasn't time for fear, just pain from the cold hard contact with the ground. For a brief moment… there was a flash of something red and gold… then darkness…_

Luke awoke again, this time in a mixture of determination and fear. It all made sense now, or at least it did to him. But this wasn't something to be mulled over, wasn't something to be considered or planned for. If he didn't do something now, there wasn't going to be anything to do. As quickly as he could get dressed he left, rushing with a new fervor to his X-wings bay praying he wouldn't run into any snags along the way.

But while Luke was many things, lucky wasn't one of them. Just as he rounded the corner, standing not 5 inches from his face was his twin. Her look shifted quickly from surprised to angry when she noticed his apparel.

"Running away already?" She bit with a little more venom than she had intended. She was certainly annoyed at his abrupt departure, but this was Luke. He always had a good reason, even if it didn't seem like it at the time.

Their connection whether it was the fact they were twins, or connected so strongly in the force gave it away. Without a word Luke leaned forward and hugged her close. Kissing her on the cheek he whispered "I'm sorry Leia… I have to do this… She'll die if I don't."

"Who will Luke?"

"Mara…"

Chapter 2

_**2 days ago…**_

It was cold, dark, wet… Then again it always was in this place. It had been 8 days… or at least she thought, since she'd been locked up here. There wasn't a lot of infrastructure on Nirauan, the best guess she had was they had to be underground. There were few lights, and no windows making it impossible to tell exactly where they were. But even then, she had no way to contact anyone to tell them… so her location would be pointless anyway.

Every few hours they would come for her. Gamorreans dressed in expertly crafted armoring; no doubt they knew the dangers of forcibly handling a force-user about. But they weren't what concerned her; it was their purpose as they dragged her bound body down the hall that sent chills up and down her spine. They arrived at the same room they had before, a room she'd work a long time to forget, if she got out of this alive…

As they entered dim lights flickered, and the man with glowing red eyes glared at her, the fire in those eyes boring into her soul. She shuddered against her nature. This was becoming unbearable.

"So Miss. Jade, today's a new day full of bright and fantastic possibility wouldn't you agree?"

She said nothing as the Gamorrean guard deposited her in the chair adjacent to the red eyed man, and promptly turned to stand outside the door.

"You know… it doesn't have to be like this. We've spent quite some time trying to acquire these codes you see, and to be perfectly honest the boys upstairs and getting rather… impatient. I don't know how much longer they'll let me play with you, before they decide this game isn't worth our time. And unfortunately as much as I enjoy our sessions together, I'm more than happy to find a more… willing candidate."

She said nothing again, head hung low with her chin braced to her chest. Her decision was made, it had been weeks ago, months ago, hell maybe even years ago. But they didn't know that, they couldn't. If they did she would be dead right now. Though day by day it seemed a better alternative.

"Alright girly… enjoy." And with that he stood and walked from the room, standing outside the door just long enough to watch the interrogation droid hover its way into the room, settling itself next to its victim planted firmly via shackles to her seat. The door hissed shut, and after a few moments all remaining sound was eclipsed by the screams.

Takeoff had been smooth; luckily Leia was able to expedite his flight clearance so he could leave immediately. He hadn't packed smart, or at all really. He'd in-fact never felt more rushed in his life. The second he had realized who his visions were of, it was like drowning. Mara Jade had saved his ass more times than Luke could remember; he _needed_ to save hers this time. He had never felt such an overpowering sense of debt to another person before. He had indirectly ruined the one thing in her life she felt was worth anything, and then subsequently condemned her to a life of piracy and grunge work. She had every right to be mad; she was too good for grunt work. Too smart, too skilled, too _beautiful_…

Beautiful, Luke had thought many things of Mara Jade but beautiful hadn't been on the list. He knew it of course; it only took someone with eyes to realize that the redhead was stunning. But why had that word suddenly come to mind… he would have to consider it later. At the moment there were more pressing things. He had to prepare.

Mara lay face down on the cold stone floor of her cell. Breath coming out in exasperated gasps littered with painful catches. Everything hurt, she no longer knew the extent of her injuries, only that they hurt unlike anything she'd ever felt before. Resistance to physical pain was one thing Palpatine had preached of upmost importance. Especially when presented with a situation exactly like the one she was in right now. But this was different; this was unlike anything she'd experienced under his control. She couldn't move, barely breathing and finding that each day she lost a little less drive.

Pulling herself across the cell to the corner she propped herself up on the wall, letting out a pain filled sigh of relief to be in less contact with the cold floor. No one was coming for her here, the only person that even knew she was here was Karrde, and he thought she was on vacation. _Stupid… kriffing stupid, idiot decision…. _She thought to herself. If she was going to get through this, it had to be on her own.

And after 8 careful days of studying her surroundings, there was only one sure fire way out of this place. And it was sheer suicide… But then again, that seemed to be her forte. Prying off a piece of loosing rock from the wall, she began to quietly scrape it against the cell floor, after a few hours of wear it would be sharp enough to pierce skin, and with some luck the flimsy neck brace on the Gamorreans armor. It didn't take even as long as she thought before she had a crude but effective knife in hand.

Sliding back into the corner behind the door, she sat down and waited. It was now or never, the next time they walked in would be the last time she'd have the strength to do this… and even now it was questionable. But the longer she waited she knew her chances decreased exponentially. She would either escape tonight… or they would torture her to death here, if they didn't kill her during the abduction first.

She sighed loudly gripping the knife so hard it turned her bruised and bloody knuckles white. Plans with three results… two of which we're death just didn't sit well.

Like clockwork they came, it had been four and half hours since they'd last deposited her in her cell. The dull click of their boots on the stone floor was all the indication she needed. She inhaled sharply, preparing herself for what was about to happen. Three… two…. one…

The door flung open, and she was on them like a feral cat, deftly hugging her away around the inside of the door and jamming her make-shift knife straight up into the throat of the Gamorrean on the left. Raising her right arm to block the downward swing of his counterparts bludgeon, it cracked against her forearm painfully, but gave her enough time to thrust the bloodied stone into the jugular of her remaining attacker. Blood pouring from her victims she paused only for a moment to rid them of their blasters and begin her sprint down the hallway to freedom.

He was approaching Nirauan now, he had absolutely no clue where to even begin looking for Mara, or if she was even here at all. All he'd had to go on was what Karrde had told him, and what he could see from the visions which to be honest wasn't much. But he knew this was right somehow, he decided to try and reach her through the force. They were in close proximity now, maybe he could feel where she was. Reaching out he cleared his mind and searched for her. He could feel her presence, but those shields were up like a fortress. _Damnit Mara…_ he thought to himself. He was too far to tell where she was, and the fact she was suppressing her presence certainly didn't help. He hoped by the time they broke atmosphere he'd be able to get a good idea of where she was. Otherwise this just may be impossible…

Her calves burned, she couldn't tell from what. The lactic acid, the weeks of non-use, the muscle damage from the electricity, the burns. It was too overbearing to think about. Putting it out of her mind, she simply ran. Ran like she'd never run before in her life. Checking constantly behind her she kept a good pace as she railed for the exit. Things were smooth for a while; she managed to get outside the facility which appeared to be some kind of hidden bunker in the side of a mountain. But the moment she set foot outside she was met with 3 blasters to the face. Imperials… The squad leader began to speak, but Mara cut him off with a shot to the head, quickly ducking down to the left to avoid the impending fire from the other two. Spinning gracefully she reared her blasters and placed two more beautiful aimed shots in the heads of the remaining agents. Without taking a second to breathe she darted off into the woods at the pace of a cheetah on the hunt.

It was get out of here quickly or die, reinforcements would be here any second and in her current condition there wasn't much more she could handle. As she barreled through the woods she didn't look back, rain was pouring from the open sky. Darkness threatened her balance as she vaulted over downed trunks with a strength she was surprised she had. About a kilometer from her start she saw her savior, like a radiant light in the darkness. A speeder, intact, operational, and life saving. She mounted it and started the engine. The roar tripled as it started, and she flipped her head around to see two more bikes soaring through the trees heading right for her blasters already firing wildly at her sighting.

Breaking through the planet's atmosphere Luke split his focus in half; he activated the landing sequence and dropped the gear. And then he reached out with everything he could, try as best he could to be clear and calm. He looked for her, desperately searching the forests the lakes the mountains, everywhere. And like luck, or fate, or possibly even the force… he saw her. Trees and brush rustled rapidly in a line through the forest below, he wasn't sure it was her at first until her presence became known like a star shining in his chest. He could feel her as if she were in the copilot seat.

"R2 prepare to land we're going down here!" He was met with a response of malcontent squeaks and beeps. "Yes I know R2 but we've pulled this bad boy out of worse spots. Now hang on!" The X-wing dove rapidly to the ground below, searching out desperately for a clear path to land. He settled for a small stretch of creek bed about 5 kilometers from her position. He braced as the slides hit the slick stone surface below and the x-wing began to slide uncontrollably down the bed. Using every bit of energy he could muster Luke pushed back against the sliding ship willing it to stop before it took them on a course of sure disaster. Slowly but surely they came to halt, and without a second thought Luke leapt from the cockpit, yelling an indiscernible goodbye to R2 as he sprinted off in the direction Jade had been flying.

The whole world was a blur; the bike whipping through the trees was hard enough to concentrate on. But with two agents on her tail shooting to kill, well that made things damn near impossible. Going over a ridge she felt the left stabilizer crack and the bike started to list to the right. Overcorrecting she leaned all her weight to the left of the bike and forced its weight into her neighbors, sending it and its pilot slamming into the nearest tree with a sickening thud followed by a small explosion. Pressing on she ducked under a bolt just in time to catch a glimpse of her other pursuer now neck and neck with her attempting the same combat tactic she'd just used on his partner. But she was too smart for that, as soon as he leaned left she punched the accelerator flying forward just in time to miss and cause him the same fate as his friend.

A feel of relief and joy escaped her. Things she hadn't felt in a long time. But before any of those emotions could take hold, there was darkness.

_The scent of the air was clean… pure. It smelled like fresh honey and thyme. Birds sang just outside the open window, and a cool summer draft blew through its open shutters. Everything was radiant, beautiful, everything was perfect. For the first time in a long time, this was known bliss. True bliss…_

She awoke in more pain than she remembered. Confusion, paranoia and shock all set in immediately upon opening her eyes. It was almost daylight, she was lying in mud, her clothing all but shredded from her body, barely covering the parts that mattered and leaving nothing to imagination on those that didn't. She lay on her back, right arm twisted painfully behind her back. She wrenched it free with a soft cry. Broken. She began to sit up, but was forced back to the ground by the searing pain in her gut. She looked down and immediately wished she hadn't. Turning away from the sickening site, a gash from her hip to her breast with a large chunk of what appeared to be part of the speeder still sticking out of her side.

She wasn't sure how she'd lived through the crash, but after a short assessment of her situation, it wouldn't last long. This was a fatal wound if she'd ever seen one, without medical attention ASAP, she would die here, alone and cold in these god-forsaken woods. Maybe that was fitting, atonement for her many sins. Perhaps this is what she deserved, a painful pointless death. She shut her eyes, preparing herself for what was inevitable, trying hard to enjoy whatever fleeting moments she had left.

She thought of her days as The Hand, she thought of the people she'd killed, and the people who'd tried to kill her. She thought of Palpatine and Vader. She thought of the people who had been her parents, people she would never know. She thought Karrde and Ghent and Aves… And finally her mind settled on Luke… Luke Skywalker. Stupid farm boy from Tatooine… This was all his fault anyway. If he hadn't come along and shown her that there was more to life that servitude, hate, anger and pain. That there was good in people inherently and that to show others we must project it from ourselves… That's why she'd come here. She'd never admit it to him, but she wanted to prove to him she wasn't like the rest. Do something good for no personal gain, something that would hopefully save a lot of people.

Well all in all she had done that. In less than 48 hours the entire imperial communications network would be down indefinitely. The failsafe "blackout codes" were privileged information given only to the highest ranking officials in the military. Being right hand of the Emperor was just about as privileged as it got. It had been a breeze getting the codes into the system, but once they were in it was an all out fire-fight of which she did not end up on the winning end. Trapped in a cell for weeks, tortured and interrogated she'd given them nothing. They would have nothing, and it was all because of her. Yes… she could die here happily knowing she'd done something worth him…

_Worth him… this wasn't for him… kriff… _

He was moving as fast as his feet would take him. Even he couldn't believe how fast he'd gotten to the site. He heard the crash in the distance, then silence. Fear pressed him onward as he leapt over the final brush making contact now the gruesome scene before him. There lay in a small clearing, the remnants of a speeder bike, ripped almost entirely in half by the force of impact, still smoldering and sparking from bits here and there. He circled it and looked off to the right, and there leaning back against a rock wall, hand clutching her side was Mara Jade. Her eyes were closed, her skin pelted with sweat and rain, fierce red hair clinging to her face and shoulders. Her head hung low, and her hand clutched lightly at the piece of fiberglass sticking out of her abdomen. Luke felt his heart drop as he rushed to her side, gently moving her hand away from the wound, he was meant with a groan of disapproval. But he'd never been happier to hear that sound in his life… she was alive.

Very carefully he slipped his arms underneath her knees and lifted her. He carried her a short way off to an opening in the mountain, just enough to shelter them from the rain. Very gently he set her down on her back flat against the floor as he began to look her over.

She was a mess, cuts bruises everywhere. Her lip was split and her eyes blackened. Her right arm and knee where broken. But worst of all he needed to tend to this gash, if he didn't she would quickly bleed to death. Her lips already turning a light shade of purple from the cold and loss of blood. He gripped her hand softly and whispered in her ear.

"I'm so sorry Mara…. This is going to hurt, please don't hate me…" And in one swift motion he pulled the fiberglass from the wound as she shrieked out and lurched forward in protest. He held her shoulders and eased her back down to the ground whispering comforting sentiments as he laid her back. He shuddered inwardly, hating that he had to be the one to do this to her. He didn't have med supplies, in the field they had to use what was available. He needed to stitch that wound, but had no string, he could pull apart his shirt but then he had no needle. And to use anything less would make it just that much more agonizing for her. Merely wrapping a wound like this wouldn't save her, no he had to close it and soon.

He sighed loudly, running out of ideas and beginning to panic. When all of sudden it came to him. He pulled out his lightsaber, examining it a moment and mulling over whether or not this was really a good idea. It was his only idea… if this didn't work she'd die right here, no question about it. He had to try.

He put his head against her chest; he listened carefully to her heartbeat. He pulled back igniting the saber, he never hated himself more than in this moment right now. He grasped her hand in his and gave it a tight squeeze; she responded by squeezing it back… she knew. He took a deep breath and leaned forward, positioning the sabers blade just above the wound… then he pressed. She screamed with a desperation that made the tears flush from his eyes. Her body jerked wildly away from the blade the second it made contact, but that's all that was needed. A crude burn cauterized most of the flesh around the wound; he removed his shirt and ripped it in two. Quickly dipping under her now flailing body to tightly wrap it around the burn. Her seizing settled and she rolled her head to the side, eyes opening for the first time to look up at him. Tears burning in the corners no doubt from the pain.

"Luke…" was all she could manage to say before the darkness took her again.

"It's okay… sleep…" he muttered to her, but she was already gone. He leaned down and brushed her bangs from her eyes. Even like this he couldn't help but find himself in awe, he hated seeing her like this. But he'd never seen Mara Jade so… vulnerable before. Before he knew what he was doing he leaned down slowly and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. Pulling her head into his lap he absent mindedly stroked her hair. He'd wait until broad daylight to move her back to his ship; it was still too dark to travel safely, especially carrying an injured woman. He shut his eyes and sighed loudly. What happened to her? Why had she come to Nirauan in the first place? Numerous questions plagued his mind, but he pushed those thoughts away and looked down at his companion. He frowned and ran a gentle hand down her bruised cheek.

"_I'm so sorry…"_

Chapter 3

**5 days later…**

There was a bright burst of light. As she opened her eyes she found herself surrounded by an array of beeping machines and abrasively white walls. _Med center…_ she thought darkly. Mara hated these places. They were like


End file.
